1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an LED lighting apparatus and a method of using the same for illumination of a body cavity, particularly a body cavity that has been exposed during a surgical procedure requiring an incision.
2. Background of the Invention
That various medical procedures require light is well known. For instance, it is well known that hospitals spend exorbitant amounts of money to provide surgeons with overhead lighting in surgery. Nonetheless, in large part to the obstruction in the path of light caused by the physical presence of the surgeon, overhead lighting alone may not, in many circumstances, be adequate.
External lighting such as light beams worn as a headset is also well known. While these have the advantage of not being obstructed by the physical presence of the surgeon, they introduce other issues, as they can be uncomfortable to wear, and also must have sufficient strength to travel distances of over 2 to 3 feet, from the top of the surgeon's head to the point of interest. Additionally, such headsets require the surgeon to position their head to direct the light in the appropriate direction, which can be cumbersome.
As a result, during surgical medical procedures that require incisions in order to gain access to a body cavity, incisions must be made sufficiently large in order to allow for the insertion not only of the instruments and the hands of the surgeon, but also for paths of light into the body cavity of interest, which can be detrimental to the patient.
It is also recognized that there exist lighting devices which can be temporarily inserted into a body and temporarily provide directed light to a particular internal body cavity area. Such insertion, however, requires a pair of hands to direct the light, and known devices do not provide sufficient illumination, both in terms of the area of illumination, as well as amount of light output.